What is Real and What is a Dream
by unicornhime
Summary: Korra is injured during an attack and struggles with her memories.
1. Chapter 1

**Part One**

"Korra. Korra, wake up, _please._"

Korra could hear someone calling her, but she didn't know who or why. Her head ached and all she wanted to do was sleep.

"Korra please, come back to me."

The voice was masculine, but young, and pleading now. But she could not place it. She wanted him to be quiet. The pain in her skull throbbed.

"I'm begging you, Korra. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

She frowned, even more confused. Light filtered through her closed eyelids and made her squint, though she did not open them. She heard a gasp somewhere above her.

"She moved! Bolin, look!"

Bolin? Why didn't she recognize that name? And why was it such a big deal that she was moving?

She was so confused. And so, so tired. And still hurt so, so much.

She ignored the voices calling her name and went back to sleep.

—

The next time her consciousness roused her, it was not so bright and her head didn't hurt quite so much. She was still exhausted, but felt she had the energy to open her eyes this time.

The room was dark as her eyes fluttered open. It was small, and she was on a bed in the middle of it. There was a boy on a char in a corner. Beside her was a small table with bottles on it, and a pretty bouquet of white flowers. As she woke up a little more, she recognized the scent of bleach and steel.

She was in the hospital. Why?

Quickly she tried to recall what had happened, but her memories slipped through her fingers like sand in a sieve. She knew she was Korra, the Avatar. She knew she came to Republic City and stayed with Tenzin and his family. She knew her enemy was Amon and his Equalists.

Was that all? It felt like she was forgetting something. Try as she might, she couldn't put her finger on it, and thinking too hard only intensified her headache.

She looked around the room again, hoping for some clued. The boy slumped in the corner fast asleep was unfamiliar, but there must be a reason he was there. He looked roughly her age, with black hair and his coat pulled tight around him. Could he tell her what happened to her?

"Hey," she rasped, her voice cracking from misuse. She swallowed a few times, trying to soothe her dry throat and tried again. "Hey!"

The boy started and looked around frantically. When his eyes landed on her, he heaved a sigh of relief and smiled sardonically at her. "You would wake up after I sent Mako away, wouldn't you? But oh it's good to see your eyes open."

"Mako?" She questioned, the name feeling familiar on her tongue, but it did not spark a memory.

"Yeah, you know, your boyfriend? My brother? Worried sick over you, the poor guy. He's been in here every night since, and we had to force him to go home and get a decent night's sleep in something other than these awful chairs."

"I don't…remember. What happened to me? And who are you?"

He looked stung at her question, but covered it quickly with a charming smile. "I'm Bolin. They said you might have some problems with your memory. You really don't remember me?"

"Sorry."

"It's okay, I'm sure it'll come back to you. I'm one of your best friends. We were teammates, too. You helped save me from Amon once. Well, more than once, really, but you asked me to stop keeping score."

"Why can I remember Amon's name, but not yours?" She asked aloud, more to herself than him. Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

Bolin shrugged. "You heard about Amon before you met us, right? Maybe you just lost your memory to a certain point, where you hadn't met us just yet."

Her head was spinning. "Can you tell me why I'm here? And how long it's been?"

His face grew serious. "You've been unconscious for about a week."

"A week?" Korra tried to sit up, but Boling sprang from his chair to ease her back down.

"Shh, I don't think it's a good idea to get you riled up. You still need a lot of rest."

"A week," she repeated in amazement. "Tell me what happened."

"I don't know," Bolin looked to the side. "I don't want to upset you."

"I'm going to get more upset if you don't tell me," she threatened.

Bolin was worried about how agitated she was getting, but pleased to see the Korra he knew and reluctantly began to tell her.

"You and Chief Bei Fong – well, former Chief, I keep forgetting – were infiltrating an Equalist base. Do you remember her at all?"

"I met her my first day in Republic City. She didn't like me then."

"Things have changed; you two have the same knack for survival, and you get along quite well now. You told me once she said you don't remind her of Aang at all, except for when you airbend. You took it as a great compliment."

Korra thought that over and smiled.

Bolin continued, "You had her metal-benders as back-up, and Tenzin and Mako insisted on going, too. I stayed on the island with Pema and the kids, so I really only know what they've told me.

"Your source was bad. It was a total ambush. Mako said it was pretty bad. They were trying to capture you, but they didn't realize we'd figured out a weakness to their mecha-tanks. You were able to defend yourselves, but not escape. They'd trapped you in with platinum walls.

"Mako said you tried to get the others out first when Bei Fong found a weak spot she could puncture with earth from the outside. They tried to tunnel their way out, but there were still attacks coming, and you were defending the rear with him.

"One of the mecha-tanks was still working, and it threw a metal beam at you. There was no way to dodge and it hit your head pretty hard."

Bolin took a steadying breath. "You passed out immediately. Mako carried you out and the others escaped safely with only a few minor injuries. But you haven't woken up since then. Korra, we were _so_ worried."

Korra tried to conjure of any memory of the event, but only succeeded in making her head spin again. "I'm sorry to worry you," she murmured. "I just don't remember any of it. But everyone's okay?"

"It'll come to you," Bolin assured her again. "And yes. Well, Mako's probably sick with something, not to mention exhausted, but he'll be fine once he sees you're awake and talking."

He kept saying that name like it would be important to her. It frustrated her to realize it held no meaning at all.

"When will he be here? And the others?"

"He'll be here first thing in the morning, I'm sure, though I could go get him if you like. He'd back on the island. It's still the middle of the night, but I'm sure he'd want to see you."

"No," Korra was quick to say, though a little disappointed. She'd hoped she could see him now. Maybe it would jog her memory. "He should rest, too."

"And the others come by in the afternoon, to check on you and talk with you. Those drawings are from the kids," he nods at the wall to her left, where she hadn't noticed several papers taped to the wall. There were crayon drawings of varying skill of what she assumed to be her and the kids.

"That's sweet of them," she said softly, feeling the exhaustion creep in again.

Bolin noticed her drooping eyes. "Go back to sleep. Someone will be here when you wake up again."

Though she fought it, desperate to know more, sleep won in the end.

"What do you mean, she woke up? Why didn't you come get me?"

Korra's eyelids fluttered, the exclamation dragging her from her fitful sleep.

—

"Sorry, bro. It was late and you needed sleep. Plus how was I supposed to get back to the island? The ferries don't run that late."

"You can swim, can't you?"

"She wasn't awake for very long. Just long enough for me to tell her what happened. But, Mako, she doesn't remember us."

Korra heard a sharp gasp. "What?"

"She remembers who she is and where she is, but her memory stops sometime after she came to Republic City and before she met us."

She heard footsteps as someone started pacing. She assumed it to be Mako, with how agitated he sounded. She struggled to open her eyes so she could see him. There was something about his voice that she new, and that encourage her. If she could just see him…

He sighs again, and she can see him raked a hand through his messy hair. "Sorry, Bo, I know you're just as worried as I am. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

She blinks, and waits for him to turn around, her voice still weak from sleep. Even if she could talk, she didn't know what to say. "Hey" didn't seem appropriate somehow.

After what seem like an eternity, he turns to her.

She takes in his angled face, his amber eyes, and taught mouth, all showing signs of fatigue and worry.

But she does not remember him.

He approaches her, his mouth open as if to speak, but nothing comes out. His hand hovers over hers, afraid that if he'll touch her, she'll break.

Then he breathes her name and wraps his fingers around hers.

And then Korra _remembers._

_Flashes of shouting, his golden eyes on fire with anger, her heart pumping adrenaline and looking to fight, the two of them pummeling each other with fire and water, more yelling, more anger. _

She flinches away from him, her eyes wide.

"Korra?" Mako asks, his voice full of concern. "What's wrong?"

"I remember you," she whispers. But just as his face relaxes with relief, she hisses.

_ "Get away from me."_

_._

_._

_._

* * *

_Notes: This will have three parts, and all but the very end is already written. Many thanks to the person who left this prompt for me on tumblr. I would thank them by name, but my inbox ate the message before I could get to it. :( Anyway, I hope you like this! Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two**

"What?" Mako asked, confused and dumbfounded. He looked to his brother for an explanation, but Bolin was just as lost.

"I said _get away from me_," she yanked her hand out of his and makes like she's about to get out of bed and fight.

"Korra, wait, calm down!" Bolin shouted, dragging a bewildered Mako away. "He's leaving, okay?"

She glared at Mako's utterly heartbroken form as Bolin practically shoves him out the door. She doesn't really know who he is, only that he makes her blood boil and she sees flashes of the two of them shouting and a moment that somehow breaks her heart though she doesn't know how or why.

Bolin shut the door and looked at her like she was about to attack him. Once Mako was gone, she calmed down a little, though her breathing was still hard and irregular.

"Mind telling me what that was about?" Bolin asked gently.

"I don't know," she shook her head and pressed her fingers to her temples. "I can't explain it, I just got a rush of feelings. Feelings of him shouting and hurting me. I don't know," she repeated, fighting to figure it out. "Is that wrong?"

"Korra," Bolin fought to stay calm and not let his fear of her misconception take over. "He loves you, very much. And you love him. You've been dating for months now. Granted, it hasn't been the smoothest relationship, but he would die for you. He's tried - a few times, the idiot."

"I don't understand." Korra felt tears of frustration build up in her eyes and she angrily wiped them away.

"I don't really either. Maybe your injury warped some of your memory?" Bolin suggested hopefully. "I'll ask the next healer I see."

Korra didn't feel too reassured.

—

The healer confirmed Bolin's guesses, but the reunion with Tenzin's family went much smoother. She remembered them properly and thanked the children for their drawings, reassuring them she'd be back on the island and training with them soon.

After their visit was over and Pema herded the children out to get some lunch, Tenzin lingered to ask her a few more questions.

"I heard your reunion with Mako didn't go so well," he began. "Do you really not remember him?"

"No." She said sulkily, tired of everyone telling her what she was supposed to know. "All I remember are bad things. I don't want him in here."

Tenzin glanced toward the door, where he knew the poor boy was waiting. "He feels awful, Korra, and you really did love him. I didn't like it at first, but he's a good man. Give him a chance."

"Not until I'm strong enough to beat him up if he tries anything."

Tenzin felt that was going to be the best answer he would get, and told her he'd tell Mako to keep out of her room until she returned to the island. "I can't promise he'll obey, but I'll tell him it'll help you get better. That might convince him."

Mako was pacing in the hallway when Tenzin left Korra's room. Immediately he asked how Korra was.

"Mostly the same, a little stronger," Tenzin said. "She…doesn't want to see you, though. I'm sorry."

Mako looked like a broken man. "She still hates me?"

Tenzin didn't say anything, but his silence confirmed it.

"We fought, just before we left for the mission," Mako confessed, his voice strained. "She didn't want me to come. I didn't want her to be alone. Tension had been building all week. We both said some awful things that are just so stupid now. Tenzin, what if that's why she can't stand to be in the same room with me anymore?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "But don't lose hope. She may regain the rest of her memories soon, and then be back to normal." His heart ached for the boy, but had no other way to comfort him. As long as Korra didn't remember him, Mako would be in hell.

—

Korra's health continued to improve, though her memories of Mako were still tainted. She began to remember Bolin, but nothing of his brother. When she talked about some of these memories with Bolin, she told him they were a little fuzzy, and Bolin said it was because Mako should be there, too.

"The three of us were on the Fire Ferrets together?" Korra clarified. She was sitting up in her bed, with Bolin in a chair beside her, keeping her company.

"That's right. We were pretty good, too. Made it all the way to the championship tournament finals, thanks to you."

Korra frowned. "I can only remember you. I remember fighting in the ring, and the thrill of it all, and the time I creamed Tahno, but I don't see Mako anywhere."

This worried Bolin, but he tried to hide it for her sake. "He wasn't that great anyway," he tried to joke. "You're not missing anything there."

Her frown relaxed, and she tried to smile for him. She knew it was hard for him, too, but she was just so frustrated. She couldn't get her brain to work right and she didn't know how to fix it – or if it was even fixable.

—

Mako tried to stay away, he really did. Bolin reported to him daily on Korra's progress and she was nearly ready to come home to the island.

But it was their six month anniversary, and he couldn't bear to be away from her.

He thought if he snuck in while she was sleeping, she wouldn't know he was there, and wouldn't get upset. He didn't plan on her waking up.

"What are you doing in here?" Her voice cut through the dark room like a knife.

"Korra." He didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry, I just had to see you again."

"In the middle of the night?"

"I didn't think you'd be awake."

"Do you realize how creepy that sounds?"

"I'm sorry," he said again, hanging his head. "I didn't want to upset you again. I didn't know what else to do."

Some of her anger cooled and she looked at him, really looked at him.

His face was illuminated by the pale moonlight that shone through the thin paper windows. It looked worse than when she'd first seen him. There were bags under his eyes, and lines across his brow. His cheekbones stood out and it looked like he'd lost weight.

Korra didn't understand how this boy was connected to the one in her memory.

She sighed. "Sit down."

"Really?"

"Just do it before I kick you out of here."

He obeyed quickly, trying the squelch the hope that was rising in his chest before it choked him, before he knew she'd forgiven him.

After a long moment of silence, she finally asked, "Can you tell me why I feel the way I do about you? Why you make my heart race and blood boil, but my face grow warm? Why I hate when you're in here, but feel it when you're gone?"

He couldn't help the desperate laugh that escaped him. "Because that's you and me in a nutshell," he said. "We drive each other crazy, but that's what we love about each other. You call me out when I'm being a jerk and I rein you in when you start to get out of control."

"Then why do I feel so much pain around you?" She asked in a small voice, afraid of the answer.

Mako held his head in his hands. "Because I've hurt you in the past. You've forgiven me too many times, Korra, and I think your subconscious is finally realizing it. And just before…everything… we fought. I said awful things that I didn't mean, and I'm so, so sorry, but that doesn't mean anything to you now, does it?"

"Maybe not, but your explaining means a lot. This…must be hard for you, too," she finally admitted. She hadn't thought about how much torture he must be in, if all of this was true. And she saw no reason for it to be false.

He scoffed. "This is nothing compared to what you must be going through, or what I've put you through in the past. I don't deserve your kindness, Korra, I've told you that before. But I need it. So much. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing, it won't change anything."

He laughed again, that said little chuckle. "You used to say that a lot, too."

"Good to know some things haven't changed."

"That's the thing, though." He stood up and walked over to the window, his arms wrapped around himself himself. "You haven't changed at all, aside from where I'm concerned. You're remembering Bolin, and you knew the others when you woke up. Your personality is the same, and once you're up and moving, I'll bet your fighting is the same, too. It's just me."

He looked at her again, then returned to his seat in the chair furthest from her, afraid to get any closer. They both sat in silence for a long time.

"I don't know what to do," Korra admitted. "Being around you still makes me tense, but there's also something that I can't explain. Something that makes me want to understand who you are."

"I'll do whatever you need to get your memory of me back. Just say the word, and I'll do it."

His eyes finally met hers and held them. She could see his resolve burning, and felt something inside of her crumble.

"I believe you."

—

Korra's move back home was uneventful. She had a slew of visitors the first couple days, but she only had foggy memories of most of them. The two that stuck out the most were Lin Bei Fong and Asami Sato.

Lin came by first, and her visit was brief. She said she didn't want to overwhelm the girl, but was glad to see she was recovering. She also wanted to thank her for her help in the base. She said Korra fought remarkably and should be proud.

Asami came by the first afternoon, and Korra didn't remember her at first, but as the other girl chatted, it came back to her. She remembered they didn't start off well - though she couldn't remember why, and was starting to notice a pattern of bad first impressions in her life – but they'd grown to be good friends. Asami didn't visit in the hospital because she only just got back from a business trip.

"I came as soon as I heard," she'd said. "How are you memories coming?"

"They're coming, slowly. Except where Mako's involved," she admitted.

"Really?" Asami looked surprised. "I would think it'd be the opposite, and he'd be the first thing you remember."

"That's what people keep telling me," Korra said dryly. "But sadly that's not the case."

"I talked to him a little about it," Asami said. "He told me things are getting better, but he still looked really sad."

Korra groaned. "I know, I know. I'm breaking the sap's heart. Tell me something I don't know."

"It's just kind of funny, in a tragic sort of way. You two finally get together, and then this happens. Only with you two."

"Tell me. I don't even know how we met."

Asami was happy to comply. "You snuck into the arena on a game night, and Bolin took you down to the pit. Mako said you were a total fangirl at first, but then he realized who you were and gave you a bit of a second chance. Then you filled in when the waterbender for the Fire Ferrets backed out, and it sort of snowballed from there. You offered us all a home when we had no place to go and we moved to the island. I moved back after my father was arrested and I took over Future Industries. Mako and I were dating when I first met you, and I don't think that endeared me to you any, but you became a dear friend. Then, me and Mako broke up when I realized how awful we were together. He didn't trust me to take care of myself and was always checking after me. It drove me crazy, and not in a good way. He didn't do that with you and it_ wasn't_ because you two weren't dating.

"So eventually we broke up, and a few months later, Bolin and I convinced the two of you to go out. You've had your rough patches, but it was clear to everyone who saw you that you two were mad for each other. You've been together about six months now, I think."

Korra digested this new information. "Thanks for telling me, Asami. And I'm sorry if I did anything stupid that I haven't already apologized for."

She laughed. "Don't worry about it. What's passed is passed."

Korra had a lot to think about after Asami left, and though she was supposed to be on bed rest for another couple days, ventured out of her room. She wanted to find Mako, and ask him more about the two of them as a couple.

She found him in the meditation pavilion, watching the sunset over the bay.

He turned, startled, when he heard her approach, but didn't say anything.

"Tell me about our first date," Korra commanded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three**

"You're supposed to be in bed," Mako protested weakly.

"I need the exercise, but I'll sit if you talk," she bargained, folding her legs and sinking to the ground.

"You want to know about our first date?" He asked.

"Yes. Please," she added when she saw how confused he was.

"Well," he began slowly, combing through his hair. "It was really awkward at first. Neither of us knew how to act. We'd become such good friends but didn't know how that would translate to us dating.

"I took you to the zoo. You loved it," he smiled fondly at the memory. "There were so many animals you'd never seen before, and a lot you hadn't even heard of. You were like a little kid. I even got you some of that cotton candy and you got so hyper."

He chuckled. "You tried feeding some of it to the flying pigs, but the keepers yelled at us and we ran away. That seemed to break the ice and we were ourselves again."

He looked at her, watching her eyes, and said, "I kissed you goodnight when I dropped you off at your door. I was so happy that you didn't punch me. I was terrified."

Korra smiled.

"After that, I tried to take you out whenever I could, but your training interfered a lot, so we'd mostly spend time together here." He motioned to the pavilion. "This was a popular meeting spot, since you can see so much of the island from here."

"Is that why you were here tonight? Remembering?"

He smiled sadly. "I suppose so. I just started walking and ended up here."

Korra's heart twisted. "I wish I could remember," she said softly.

"Me, too."

"Thank you for telling me."

"Anything you need, Korra. Anything at all and it's yours."

—

It became part of Korra's routine to meet Mako at the pavilion to talk and watch the sun go down. He would tell her about their relationship and she would listen, trying to remember. Her feelings for him were starting to rekindle, but she didn't feel she could trust them just yet.

"Tell me about our fight," she finally asked, leaning against the rail of pavilion beside him, needing to know what had happened that was so terrible.

"Are you sure?" Mako hedged, "I don't want to make you regress or something."

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. I reacted that way when I first saw you because I was confused and tired and all I had were all these emotions. Tell me. Please."

As he spoke, bits of memories started stitching themselves together.

"We'd been having little fights all week. You'd been having a lot of long nights, and I missed you and lashed out."

He could see it all playback in his mind, and as much as he wished he could, there was no way to change it.

Korra had come home to see Mako waiting by her bedroom door, sitting on the floor and slumped against the frame. He looked up as he saw her approach and quickly rose to his feet.

"Were you waiting for me?" Korra asked, confused.

"Yeah. We were supposed to meet me for dinner tonight. That was four hours ago."

"You didn't wait for me this whole time, did you?" She looked at him sharply, and his stomach groaned in answer.

"I was worried something had happened to you. You've never been that late before."

She closed her eyes and said, "Let's go in my room, I'm tired and don't want to talk out in the hall."

He followed her in and watched in stony silence as she took her hair down and brushed it out, kicking her shoes off as she worked.

"Well?" She finally said in a tired voice. "Didn't you have something to say?"

"Don't talk to me like that."

"Like what? Mako, I'm tired, can't whatever this is wait until I've had some sleep?"

"No, it can't, because every time I try to talk to you, you seem to disappear."

"If this is about the gala again, I swear – "

"Every time I tried to get you alone, someone else whisked you away. You didn't dance with me _once_."

"You don't like to dance at those things!"

"I do if the alternative is my girlfriend flirting with all those ambassadors!"

"I was doing my job! And I was _not_ flirting – "

"You are not your job, Korra! You liked –"

"I liked what? Having fun? Being able to relax after a long day of counting up casualties and being shuffled from meeting to meeting where my presence matters but my opinion doesn't? Feeling beautiful for once instead of just this entity that only exists to fight?"

Mako swallowed. "Korra, you know I always think you're beautiful."

"You're obligated to. I'd beat you up if you didn't." She shrugged, wanting the conversation to be over and turned away from him.

"Hey," he walked over to her and turned her face to meet his. "You are, though."

She sighed and rests her forehead on his shoulder. "I'm just so tired, Mako."

He tried to massage away the knots in her shoulders. "And I just miss the girl I fell in love with. You're so far away from me now."

She tensed. "Are you trying to… end things?"

"What? No!" He looked at her, horrified. "Of course not, what would you ask that?"

"All we do is fight lately."

"That's what we do best. And we're both under a lot of pressure. Once these attacks die down, things will be better."

"Maybe…maybe it's not such a bad idea," she started to say, pulling away and refusing to look him in the eye.

"No."

"You said it yourself, we're drifting apart. This war isn't ending anytime soon. Maybe we should cool it until this whole thing is over."

He yanked her chin up. "Korra, don't you dare leave me now, not after everything."

"It might be for the best," she started to say.

Mako couldn't believe his ears. After all he'd sacrificed for her, after she'd turned his life upside down, after he'd nearly died for her, this was what she wanted? His temper flared and he shouted, "The best thing would have been to have never met in the first place!"

She stared at him with shocked eyes, hurt flashing briefly in them before being replaced by her own temper. "Then maybe you should have picked a better waterbender before me and I never would have had to save your sorry behind!"

He glared at her. She knew Hasook had been on the team because no one else wanted to take a chance on him. "Maybe you should learn how to mind your own business and you wouldn't get in to so much trouble!"

"Maybe if you weren't such a narrow-minded jerk, there wouldn't be trouble to get into!"

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"I'm calling you a jerk! Is that simple enough for you!"

"Simple enough for _me_? This coming from the girl who been ambushed and outsmarted how many times? You don't know what to do with any problem you can't punch in the face!"

That was a low blow after she'd been ambushed just the week before, resulting in one officer she was with being very seriously injured, and he knew she was still sensitive about it.

She saw red. "At least I face my problems head on instead of moping about them for ages before saying or doing anything! How long have you been stewing over that gala thing? Or that time you waited two weeks to tell Bolin he needed to stop coming with us when we were trying to be alone?"

"I'm his brother, I didn't want to hurt him!"

"You think you'd be better off without me, but maybe he and everyone else would have been better off without you!"

He reeled back and stared at her in disbelief for a long, hard moment. Then, coldly, he said, "You have changed, Korra. I don't want to be with someone so hard."

She looked down at her clenched fists, biting back angry tears. "You've changed, too."

"Maybe you're right."

The fight left her in a flash at the thought of him actually leaving. But her pride couldn't say anything other that, "Maybe I am."

"Good night, Korra." He turned and left her, and she immediately collapsed on her bed, horrified at what she'd said and done, but too ashamed and proud to apologize.

"The next morning was awful," Mako said, picking up the story again and jogging Korra out of her still re-forming memories. "I regretted everything I said, but I was still hurt, and you wouldn't look at me, let alone let me talk to you. You didn't say two words to me until it was time for the mission. Even then it was just 'Are you still in?' I just looked at you and said, 'Of course, I'm not going to let the love of my life have all the glory.' You softened a bit after that, but of course we didn't have time for anything else.

"The next thing I knew, we were at the base and under attack and you were hurt. And you know what happened after that."

"Mako," she said softly, taking his hand in hers. He jumped at the contact – the first instigated by her since her memory loss. "Thank you for telling me."

"I told you I would do anything for you." He smiled sadly at her, then said, pulling his hand back and getting to his feet, "I'm supposed to meet Bolin in a little bit. I'll see you later."

Korra suspected he was lying, but let him go. She needed time to herself to think anyway.

—

The first thing Korra did when she saw him the next evening was apologize. "I don't remember much, but I remember enough. I shouldn't have said any of that. I was tired and stressed and that's no excuse, but I'll never talk to you like that again."

Mako chuckled, a little surprised. "It's okay. It doesn't really matter now, does it?"

"Of course it does!" She insisted. "I… Mako, that was awful of me."

"We were both awful. Let's just leave it at that, okay?"

"You must really love me, to stay by my side night after night after we'd almost broken up. And then after I threaten you and kick you out of my room."

"Korra," he placed his hands on her shoulders and looks deep in her eyes, and she swears she can see straight to his heart. "Whether or not you remember me now, or ever again, and whether or not you ever love me again, you will always be part of me. One stupid fight isn't going to change that."

"Still," she bit her lip, uncomfortable with how personal they were getting. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Then apology accepted. So. What do you want to hear about today?"

"Tell me a story about a time we made up."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What? With as much passion as we apparently had, you have to have _some_ good stories."

He laughed. "I'll tell you about the time we broke the bed."

—

The days passed quickly and quietly, much to Korra's relief. She began training her body again, and the familiar movements soothed her. Even if her brain still continued to fail her, her body did not.

Tenzin reluctantly let her rejoin the council meetings, though she was forbidden to join any missions until she was completely healed. She still had a few bruises and deep cuts that would not heal if she was running off into danger every five minutes.

She was a little restless, but – much to her surprise – hearing Mako tell her about the two of them every night provided enough adventure and excitement to keep her wandering spirit at bay. She was starting to understand why she had fallen for him in the first place.

—

Korra woke up in the middle of the night, her heart racing and her body covered in a thin sheen of sweat. She gulped down breaths, her eyes flashing around her dark room, but she could not settle.

She remembered.

Everything.

She ripped her blanket from her body and raced down the hallway to Mako's room, trying to be quiet but not really caring or succeeding. Throwing open the door without bothering to knock, she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his middle, crushing her cheek to his chest.

Jarred back to the world of the waking, Mako's first instinct was to attack the thing that had latched itself to him, but stopped just in time.

"Korra?"

"Mako, I remember. I'm so sorry, I remember now," she mumbled over and over again, holding him so tightly he thought his ribs might crack.

But that was the most welcome pain. He buried his face in her hair and kissed the top of her head again and again, reaching his arms around to hold her.

He was content to simply hold her as her revelation sank in, but he needed to see the truth of it in her eyes. He needed to see the love in them again. Gently tilting her face up to his, he found what he was looking for.

"You really remember me?"

She nodded, smiling shyly, her eyes searching his, and she said, "I woke up and suddenly everything was back. I remember the time you took me to the ice cream shop with the sweet potato ice cream, and the time I walked in on you making dinner and singing in your underwear, and the time you kissed me under the bridge – "

That was enough for Mako, and he pressed his lips to hers, cutting her off, and putting every ounce of passion and gratitude into that kiss that he could. Korra eagerly met him and the two moved together desperately, making up for lost time.

He kissed down her neck, tugging at her shirt when he stopped, abruptly realizing, "You're wearing my old shirt. To sleep in."

Korra blushed, pulling the hem down to cover her exposed legs. "I didn't know it was yours when I put it on. It just…comforted me somehow."

"I didn't even know you still had it. I thought I'd lost it ages ago."

"I stole it," she whispered, a spark in her eyes that he had dearly missed. "To take with me when I had to go back to the South Pole for those few weeks."

Comprehension dawned on him. "You little imp," he said, wrapping her back up in his arms and pulling her down to the mattress.

The both laid on their sides, inches from each other, breath mingling, letting the weight of the return of Korra's memory settle over them.

"I missed you," Korra admitted.

"I missed you so much," Mako replied, brushing her hair out of her face then placing one hand on her cheek. "Don't you ever do that to me again."

"I didn't exactly plan on doing it the first time."

Mako was about to argue, but bit his tongue. He would let her have the last word this time.

That was just how much he loved her.

Besides, he'd learned his lesson about fighting when they were both tired.

He reached around to the back of her neck to bring her forward for another searing kiss that they both felt down to their toes.

"I love you," Mako said when he released her so they could catch their breath.

She smiled at him and placed a sweet kiss on his lips. "I love you, too."

"You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that again."

"I think I can guess," she cocked an eyebrow at him and glanced meaningfully down at their intertwined bodies, laughing at the faint blush in his cheeks.

"You'll pay for that," he growled teasingly, nipping at her shoulder.

She yelped and nipped back. "Show me what you've got, hot shot. Let's break another bed."

And then, just like that, they were Mako and Korra again.

_End._


End file.
